A Royal Reunion
by Lucsindark
Summary: After returning home to study oration under her adoptive father, the loneliness caused by being away from her fiancé, Byleth, has begun to weigh heavily upon Marianne. However, fortune appears smile upon her as Byleth, the newly crowned king of Fódlan, is set to arrive in Edmund territory to not only discuss trade, but to see Marianne after all these months apart.


A Royal Reunion

Time dragged on and on and on for the blue haired maiden as she anxiously paced the ornate halls of Edmund Manor. For one as fervid as her, the minutes felt like hours as she impatiently continued to glance outside the windows for any sign of her beloved. Byleth, who had recently been crowned king of a united Fódlan, had been away from Marianne for quite some time due to his newfound duties and responsibilities as ruler of the realm. Governing the nation was proving to be a time-consuming endeavor, and Marianne found that she was just as busy as he was as she had been home studying oration under her father and had been preparing to become the United Kingdom of Fódlan's first queen. It was difficult work to say the least, but Marianne's excitement and happiness for her future marriage allowed for her to efficiently grasp and understand all that was being instructed to her. And now, she was given something else to look forward to as well, as Byleth was traveling to Edmund territory to pay her a visit. Officially, he was going to be there to discuss matters of trade with the margrave, but Byleth and Marianne both knew that this was going to be a chance for the two of them to see each other again after months of being apart.

Organizing this trip was no easy achievement, largely in part due to Byleth's busy new schedule, but nonetheless it proved to be possible and he was set to arrive any minute now. Marianne's heart felt like it was going to burst from excitement, and her body felt as though it could take no more. The anticipation continued to plague her as she fervently paced the halls while time continued to progress at an excruciatingly slow pace. Finally, though, something had caught her attention. From the distance she saw the royal entourage, approaching swiftly and escorting a carriage bearing the Crest of Flames. At long last, the two were to be reunited as a wide grin spread across Marianne's face.

Pulling up towards Edmund Manor, the carriage came to a halt as the herald announced the arrival of Fódlan's king. With Byleth's presence made known, the doors were opened by his attendants and he proceeded to step out of the carriage to greet the Edmunds and their company.

"Your Highness," said Marianne with a curtsey while trying her best not to laugh at how formal she had to act around her fiancé.

Byleth, who was never one for formalities, had a slight smirk appear across his face as he gave Marianne a look that said 'please, not you too.' Nonetheless, as king he was still expected to follow protocol and as a result, he greeted her in a manner that was befitting of a monarch.

"It is a pleasure to see you, Lady Marianne von Edmund," said Byleth gracefully, yet with a hint of awkwardness in his tone.

Byleth then took her hand into his own and kissed it. Both looked at each other and noticed that their faces were a slight tint of red, partly due to circumstance, but also due to the feelings of excitement and eagerness that arose from seeing each other again. The two of them wished that they could drop the formalities and spend their time together catching up, but unfortunately now was not an opportune moment for this. Still, they realized that they would have time to do so later and with that in mind, Byleth moved on to greet Margrave Edmund so as to not accidentally run the risk of disrespecting him in his own home. Upon approaching him, the margrave gave a respectable bow and began to speak to the King of Fódlan.

"It is an honor for Your Majesty to grace House Edmund with your presence," said the Margrave in a sophisticated and astute tone.

Byleth's natural instinct was to give him a friendly nod and to leave it at that, but once again he remembered that he was now royalty, so instead he returned the margrave's greeting with a polite one of his own and from there, proceeded to greet all other important members affiliated with House Edmund. After he had done so, the margrave once again began to speak to Byleth.

"I hope that our upcoming discussions will bear many fruits, not just for the Margraviate of Edmund, but also for the United Kingdom of Fódlan as well. I am quite eager to begin our negotiations, however I imagine that you would wish to rest after your long journey, so I believe it would be best for us to begin deliberations tomorrow. In the meantime, Marianne please escort His Majesty to his quarters."

She did not expect to be chosen by her father to escort Byleth, but nevertheless Marianne eagerly began to lead him inside the manor and to his room as the other servants of House Edmund tended to Byleth's entourage. Byleth and Marianne hastily walked and talked; feeling as though they had a world's worth of information to catch up on since they had been separated. Both laughed and smiled relentlessly with each other during their walk and both finally looked truly happy after so many months apart.

"I can't believe that we've been apart for so long!" said Marianne in a flabbergasted tone as she and Byleth arrived at his quarters.

"I feel like I'm going crazy without you around," replied Byleth in an exhausted tone, "Being a professor was much easier than this. There's thousands of rules for etiquette, hundreds of rules for politics, I have to do this and that in a certain way, everyone has to taste my food before I can eat it, no one talks to me normally anymore… How many more months until the wedding?"

"Just a few," said Marianne with a giggle, "After that I'll be there to support you in any way that I can."

"Sounds like paradise. And while you're at it, perhaps you could also deal with the nobles while I lock myself away in our bedroom," replied Byleth as he flopped down onto his bed.

Marianne could not help but laugh at how casual Byleth acted around her. She could tell that it was never his intention to become a member of the nobility, let alone king of an entire country, but she couldn't deny that the whole situation was rather amusing from a certain perspective. Sitting down next to him, she began to gently stroke his hair as he rested peacefully on the bed. Her hands were soft to the touch, and Byleth had missed being able to share simple, yet intimate moments like these with Marianne. She continued to stroke his hair before moving onto his cheek as Byleth gently let the responsibilities of nobility drift away from him.

"Oh, before I forget," said Byleth sitting up.

The young king proceeded to reach into his pocket as he pulled out a small gift for Marianne. Presenting it to her, she happily accepted it and proceeded to thank Byleth for his kindness.

"Byleth, how thoughtful! Thank you."

He gave her a nod as he smiled at her cheerfulness.

Marianne gently removed the wrapping from the small box and carefully took the lid off of the top. From inside the box, she pulled out a small and elegant porcelain dove that was masterfully crafted in detail and in texture.

"Wow, it's beautiful… I love it!" said Marianne with a tone of fascination.

"I'm glad you like it," replied Byleth in a grateful manner, "It actually came with another matching dove. The craftsman said that you're supposed to keep one for yourself and give the other to someone that you love. I wanted it to serve as a reminder that no matter how far away you are, I'll always be thinking of you and I'll always love you."

"Byleth…"

The two of them stood up as Marianne brought him into a tight embrace. Pulling him closely to herself, Marianne's arms wrapped around him as Byleth placed one arm around her and placed his other hand on the back of her head. Both held fast to each other as the gentle feelings of affection and warmth began to permeate into their bodies. The two of them felt as though nothing in the world would be able to break them apart from each other's arms and felt that it would be lovely if this moment could last an eternity. The love that was shared between the both of them had become an irresistible force in their hearts and Byleth and Marianne wanted nothing more than to share their lives with one another.

"Marianne, I've missed you so much," said Byleth as he took her face into his hands.

Slowly and lovingly, Byleth closed his eyes and began to lower his face towards Marianne's. She closed her eyes just as he did, and slowly raised her face to meet his. Steadily and affectionally, their lips closed the distance between each other as the both of them were finally brought into a passionate kiss with one another. Their bodies were still for just one instance in time before Marianne and Byleth both became overwhelmed by desire and slowly began to kiss in an ardent and fiery manner. Marianne had now placed both of her hands on Byleth's face as he wrapped both of his arms around her waist. The two continued to passionately lock their lips together as Marianne's weight shifted and caused Byleth to inch a step backward. Marianne's vivacity caused a spontaneous jolt of energy in Byleth's body, and he in turn increased his own vigor and kissed her harder and with more intensity. Her heart was racing at blinding speeds as she became overtaken by a longing that possessed her mind and body. Before she had known it, Byleth had lifted her off of the ground and had spun her around, causing the both of them to softly giggle in between their kisses before Byleth gently put her down. Their sprightly intimacy slowly began to culminate, as both gave one last parting kiss before breaking away from each other.

"I- I think I need to sit down for a moment to catch my breath," said a blushed Marianne.

"D- Definitely," replied Byleth who did the same.

After the two were seated on the bed, Byleth rested his head on Marianne's lap as she tenderly smiled back at him. The two lovingly gazed into each other's eyes for a few moments and enjoyed basking in each other's presence for the short time that they had left. He placed his hand on her cheek and Marianne pressed her hand against his as the two gave heartfelt smiles to each other. They remained like this for a few more moments, before Marianne finally got up to speak.

"I wish I didn't have to go, but my father will get suspicious if he does not see me soon," said Marianne with a hint of disappointment.

"No, I understand. Besides, negotiations probably wouldn't go so well if he knew what we were up to."

Byleth's comment caused a small giggle to escape from Marianne and afterward she placed a kiss on his cheek. Making her way to the room's entrance she bade her fiancé goodbye and informed him that she would come and get him when it was time for dinner. With that, she reluctantly departed from Byleth's room with her gift and made her way towards her own room. Opening the door, she entered inside and placed the little dove on a nightstand near her window. Gazing at the little bird, she began to remember the words that Byleth had said to her when she received the gift. A small smile appeared across her face as the afternoon sun gently shined into her room and onto the porcelain dove. For the young lady of House Edmund, she could not wait to finally become queen so that she and her beloved could blissfully spend the rest of their lives together with one another.


End file.
